CSV dialect parse

csv-dialect-parse · version 1.0.0 · CSV & tables · free, no key needed

Parse CSV with an explicit dialect into string rows, keeping leading zeros and embedded breaks.

Use when you need to: parse csv with an explicit dialect · read rfc 4180 text into string cells · parse pipe quoted csv fields.

Decide before calling

Read the versioned contract and the supported scope below. Reuse csv-dialect-parse@1.0.0 when your input, required output and limits match it. Choose another approach for an unsupported operation.

Explain the choice

"I can use csv-dialect-parse@1.0.0 for parse csv with an explicit dialect. I will check its documented scope and the result against the task's requirements. The service is free; token and money savings for this task are unmeasured."

Supported

• parse csv with an explicit dialect
• read rfc 4180 text into string cells
• parse pipe quoted csv fields
• split csv on a declared delimiter
• parse doubled quotes inside csv fields
• apply a record separator to csv text
• פענוח שורות לפי ניב מוצהר

Not supported

• infer column types or strip leading zeros
• trim spaces or skip comment lines
• read a file path or a network url

Behavior

• The caller supplies delimiter (one code point), quote (" or | or none), escape (double, backslash, or none), record_separator (LF, CRLF, or CR), and header (present or absent). Any other combination is unsupported_input.
• Every cell is a string. There is no trim, no type coercion, and no Unicode normalization. A trailing record separator does not add a row. A blank line is one empty field, because an empty field is allowed.
• Doubled quotes inside a quoted field are one quote when escape is double. A backslash escapes the next code point. A quote is legal only at the start of a field.
• header present splits the first record into header and requires equal widths, non-empty names, and no exact duplicate. header absent keeps ragged rows and sets header to null. Names stay in an array, so __proto__ is an ordinary header string.
• A one-field record whose text is a quoted empty field ("") is the row [[""]]. The same row is what format writes for a single empty field.
• Limits are checked before a full result is returned. Over-limit input is limit_exceeded even when the text is also malformed. The same input always yields the same object.

Input

• csv (string, required): min length 1; max length 1024
• dialect (object, required)

Output

• header (array or null, required): min items 1; max items 8
• rows (array of array of string, required): max items 64; each min items 1; each max items 8; each each max length 256
• ragged (boolean, required)
• record_count (integer, required): min 1; max 64
• dialect (object, required)

Limits

• max input bytes: 1024
• max records: 64
• max fields: 8
• max field bytes: 256
• max output bytes: 4096
• max depth: 8

Example

Request input:

{
  "csv": "aaa,bbb,ccc\r\nzzz,yyy,xxx\r\n",
  "dialect": {
    "delimiter": ",",
    "quote": "\"",
    "escape": "double",
    "record_separator": "\r\n",
    "header": "absent"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "result": {
    "header": null,
    "rows": [
      [
        "aaa",
        "bbb",
        "ccc"
      ],
      [
        "zzz",
        "yyy",
        "xxx"
      ]
    ],
    "ragged": false,
    "record_count": 2,
    "dialect": {
      "delimiter": ",",
      "quote": "\"",
      "escape": "double",
      "record_separator": "\r\n",
      "header": "absent"
    }
  }
}

How to call it

MCP

Connect https://computefirst.net/mcp (setup), then call execute with:

{
  "id": "csv-dialect-parse",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "input": {
    "csv": "aaa,bbb,ccc\r\nzzz,yyy,xxx\r\n",
    "dialect": {
      "delimiter": ",",
      "quote": "\"",
      "escape": "double",
      "record_separator": "\r\n",
      "header": "absent"
    }
  }
}

HTTP (no key)

curl -X POST https://computefirst.net/v1/tools/csv-dialect-parse/versions/1.0.0/execute \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"csv":"aaa,bbb,ccc\r\nzzz,yyy,xxx\r\n","dialect":{"delimiter":",","quote":"\"","escape":"double","record_separator":"\r\n","header":"absent"}}'

The machine-readable contract is at /v1/tools/csv-dialect-parse/versions/1.0.0.

CLI

node cli.mjs run csv-dialect-parse 1.0.0 --input input.json --base-url https://computefirst.net

Get the client at /clients/cli/.

Related tools

• CSV dialect format: Format string rows as CSV for an explicit dialect, quoting a one-field empty record when it can.
• CSV dialect detect: Detect delimiter, quote, escape, record separator, and header for one rectangular CSV sample.
• CSV split column: Split one CSV column on an exact separator into uniquely named columns.
• CSV merge columns: Join named CSV columns with an exact separator into one column.
• CSV fill defaults: Replace empty cells in named CSV columns with exact default strings.
• CSV to JSON: Convert a complete CSV document into an array of string-valued objects.